Spirited Dinner @ mk - June 10, 2008 (POST-GAME)

Here's the re-cap from this past Tuesday's dinner with Amy Smolensky (old colleague from pre-bartending days) and her friends. There were six in all. Here we go . . .

I started the ladies off with a Biter's Cocktail from "The Savoy Cocktail Book" (1930). I used Gabriel & Andreu cognac, fresh lemon sour and green Chartreuse. Dry, aperitif cocktail to get it started.

I changed the name on the menu of the next drink to Coastal Herb Cocktail because . . . well . . . Islay Herb Juice sounds like crap. I don't use a lot of herbs to infuse the vodka so that it remains subtle. 2:1 ratio of parsley and cilantro. This drink is based on a drink I did recently for starchefs.com gala in late May, Sawing Bunk, where I have the same spirit, but use lime juice instead of lemon, for a green acidity. However, with the lobster, I wanted to provide an acidity that people are familiar with when enjoying lobster. Also, rather than use some of the smoked grapefruit in the drink, I used an inland Islay malt, Caol Ila 12 yr., to provide the smoky nexus with the grapfruit.

NOTE: Of course, I've been tinkering with the drink since the dinner some more and will replace the grapefruit juice with orange juice for an even better pairing for Simmons' beautiful and tasty lobster salad.

As mentioned below, the Earthy Burg No. 4 brought me the most excitement from this week's dinner. The extraction proved better than I expected. I toned back the black tea and mushrooms because I wanted to see how the flavors worked. I bagged the drink up in my adult 'Caprisun' bags and temp'd them with the white wine.

The coolest thing about the drink for me was how the jammy strawberry flavor transitioned into the earthy mushroom. This transition plays well as mushrooms and strawberries share a number of the same aroma/odorant compounds. Also, I discovered through serendipity that my strawberry juice extraction caused a small amount of pectin to form in the spirit which ended up giving the drink a velvety smooth texture. Yum.

For the Coffee Cocktail pairing with the dessert, I used Ted Haigh's (a.k.a. Dr. Cocktail) recipe from his great book, "Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails" (2004). NOTE: if you've ever seen the movie Super Bad you've seen Haigh . . . he's the bartender who serves McLovin and the cops.

Spirited Dinner @ mk - June 10, 2008 (PRE-GAME)

Here's the menu for tonight's dinner. I'll give post-game tomorrow.

I'm really excited about this iteration of the Earthy Burg, no. 4. I'm using sous vide to extract juice from strawberries leaving behind the flesh. I'm blending that juice with my dried shiitake ratio. Tannins (black tea syrup) and aroma (strawberry-tarragon tincture) complete the drink.

No. 4 is going to be good.



aperitif
cognac, lemon sour, green chartreuse

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lobster
steamed and chilled maine lobster, pickled spring onions, wild watercress,
smoked grapefruit, easter egg radish, puffed rice

islay herb juice
cilantro-parsley chopin vodka, st. germain, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, caol ila 12 yr.

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swordfish
hardwood charcoal grilled north atlantic swordfish, braised swiss chard, roasted baby beets, whole grain mustard, beet reduction

earthy burg, no. 4
strawberry-shiitake spirit, cranberry juice, black tea syrup,
lemon juice, strawberry-tarragon tincture

_______

chocolate and cherry
bitterweet chocolate souffle cake, bing cherry sorbet, cherry-vanilla compote, anglaise

coffee cocktail
cognac, port, egg, sugar

Spirited Dinner @ mk - June 3, 2008

I was fortunate enough to have the compnay of five guests at the bar this week for my spirited dinner: Chris and Susie; Jane with Rebecca and Kathleen.

Here's the menu . . . my notes throughout.

aperitif
bacon whisky, sugar snap pea juice, snap syrup, lemon juice

NOTES: While not a true example of what I typically call an aperitif cocktail, this is more akin to a cocktail 'amuse'. It was the first time I got to use our house cured and smoked bacon in a drink (we have a Bradley on the roof). We used maple. 'Snap syrup' is simply the pulp from from the snap pea juice infused into a syrup. I was looking for a different medium to work my pea-cognac-whisk(e)y. See mid-course below.
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hamachi
raw sliced yellowtail, pencil asparagus, piquillo peppers, black olive oil

oyster's last gasp
kumamoto oyster spirit, mineral water reduction, lemon juice

NOTES: As you've seen prior, I've infused oysters into everything: gin, neutral, junmai sake. My idea here was for a low alcohol neutral that is cut by a reduction of mineral water (i.e., reducing 2 L of Pellegrino down to about 240 mL). I wanted to get the texture from the TDS (total dissolved solids) and minerals to go with the 'sea life' tate of the spirit. Lemon juice is a familiar acidity for most when dealing with oysters.

I think the umami from the drink is an exciting way to set up the palate for Chef Erick Simmons' raw fish dish.

Mid-Course
snap pea bourbon sour

NOTE: I replace the snap syrup for simple and give the bourbon a green earthiness. I think it's the best I've done in showing that cognacs and whisk(e)y share many flavors. In fact, I'm looking forward to enjoying a refreshing one on a late Spring day off soon.

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lamb
boneless roasted rack of four story hill farm lamb, crushed fava beans, black trumpet mushrooms, baby carrots, veal reduction

earthy burg, no. 3
pomegranate-shiitake spirit, black tea syrup, lemon juice, rosemary tincture

NOTE: This is my first time using dried shiitakes and I loved the results. Much more earthiness for less (by weight) than when I use the freshies. The key is to not over do the earthiness. I left out from the spirit my typical 'black' (i.e., black peppercorns and black tea) or 'blackness' (i.e., same as before but with black trumpet mushrooms) with this style drink. I wanted to taste the shiitake unfettered.

I added cranberry and pomegranate to the black tea syrup for more tannic tartness.

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panna cotta
lemon buttermilk panna cotta, rhubarb consomme, fresh berries, cornmeal

spring bubbles
mocato d'asti, strawberry-tarragon tincture

NOTE: Didn't want to get in the way of the subtleness of Pastry Chef Amy Sampson's dessert so I worked the nose with a spring-scented tincture.

That sounds kind of funny, doesn't it?


Finally, as a heads up: we're sold out for this upcoming Tuesday. I'm excited for the drinks as Chef's going with an entire seafood tasting menu for the next three to four weeks.

As always, at 6:30pm every Tuesday, I offer a three-course spirited dinner for $65. Max seating is eight (8) so call me (773-206-3357) to book a reservation.